Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-12-06
FINANCIER HARPER
SEEMS TO BE IN AN EXCEEDINGLY
UNDESIRABLE CORNER.
His Manipulation of $780, 200 to Fool the
Streak of Rust In Ohio-Diabollcal Deed
of New Yorker-A Wife Shot While Ill
In Bed-Depravity of the Day.

Bank Examiner-How He Operated
Streak of Rust In Ohio iabolical Deed
of New Yorker-A Wife Shot While Ill
In Bed-Depravity of the Day.
CINCINNATI, Ohio, Dec 6-The second
week of the Harper trial opened Monday with
undiminished interest The prosecution ex-
poets to have all its testimony in by Wednes-
day night Then it is expected Harper will
soon take the stand, toexplain as best he may
the overwhelming mass of evidence now pill
ing up against him.
Mondays testimony was clear in showing
that Harper was the man who had wrecked
the bank; that he had undisputed control
over all its transactions, ard gave such di-
rections as to cash and entries in the books as
swept its assets clean out of existence. He
juggled with millions as if they were pennies,
and seemed never at loss for expedients to
cover up his transactions.
j. H. Walters. general bookkeeper of the
Fidelity. swore that a temporary loan OF
100000 was made to the bank by the Metro
politan bank, and that Harper kept the
package in his desk and used it for the pur-
pose of deceiving Bank Examiner Powell
when he investigated the Fidelity vaults and
cash book The total deficiency of the Fidel-
ity on June 90 was 81, 004 32l. IS
The witness was called upon to explain for
the benefit of the jury the meaning of
change and credit" tickets. He was asked
upon cross-examination whether the effect
of the deposit ticket, dated March IL, 1887,
for 500, 900, was that this amount was on
deposit in the First National bank to the
credit of the Fidelity. He said that on its
face it would appear So but the fact was
that there were bills payable outstanding
against the Fidelity for the same amount
Harper had borrowed, in the name of the
Fidelity, the 500 900 and issued a certificate
of deposit therefore. So, in fact, the bank
had nothing to its credit The 81, 600, 90 sent
| to the Chemical should have been entered on
the general ledger Of the Fidelity as bills
| payable" and the Chemical should have
| been charged. These entries are not made.
| Judge John s. Conner, assignee of the
| Riverside mill, testified that the assets were
$500 Sc. The mill sold for $40, 900
Maj H. P. Lloyd followed Judge Conner
| Maj Lloyd is the trustee of Harper individ-
| uaIy. The assets consist principally of real
estate, and aggregate about 1900 The
| liabilities are So 600 due the Chemical bank,
| SO, 0J0 due the Western bank of New York,
large amount now unknown, due Day
ton bank, and 1880, 900 due some Chicago
| gentlemen. The receiver Of the Fidelity has
brought suit against Harper and the other
Fidelity directors for 5000, 000. There is
also suit pending against Harper to en-
force his liability as stakeholder in the
"Grasshopper" railroad for S500,000 Har.
per kept no personal books-at least witness
could not find any. The "GraSshopper" road
is "a streak of rust" up the Ohio, commenc
ing nowhere and ending nowhere. 1t was
purely speculative road-used solely to f1oat
bonds When Harper failed in one of tbs
Handy wheat deals he paid off a portion ot
his Indebtedness in these bonds
Phil Armour. the great Chicago pork
packer, it is intimated, got lot of them
Charles A Hinch, teller of the Fidelity
occupied a long time going over accounts o.
hundreds of thousands of dollars and explain
ing them to the jury, and his testimony wa.
not ended when court adjourned. 1t does no
seem possible for any defense to meet tn,
case these relentless figures make agains
Harper. He listens to them without emotion
and his counsel hears them without any IF
fort to parry their force.